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The Advantage in the Waste Industry
Transformative Technology: Laying the Foundation For High Tech Tools for Todays Modern Hauler
Steven Kaufman
ImagIne youre IntervIewIng for a job. the person sitting across the table tells you that the position carries with it prestige, a good salary and great importance for the company. As your interest mounts, the interviewer says, Oh, there are just a few caveats. Youll be in charge of a large group of employees, each of which will be using a company asset worth about $200,000 to $250,000. These employees will be scattered around town, but youll have no definitive way of knowing what theyre doing during the day or how theyre treating the asset. Before you can say anything, the interviewer adds, And we expect you to hit your revenue and expense targets while delivering exceptional customer service, comply with all government-mandated regulations and maintain a near-perfect safety record. Would you take the job? Most people would utter a polite thank you and quickly say no. However, the scenario outlined is exactly what todays waste hauler faces every day. With technology now a fundamental part of our personal and professional lives, most haulers are still flying blind when it comes to managing their three most important assets: vehicles, drivers and routes. In this series of articles, we will explore the various technologies available for the waste industry. From the cab to the office, we will review the products and services that can automate nearly all of the manual tasks associated with waste haulingand pay for themselves through a defendable, provable return on investment. The goal is to show that technology is not only available, but it can also completely transform the hauler into a leaner, more competitive operation fully capable of meeting the challenges of modern-day trash hauling.
Todays technology solutions available can have a very profound effect on waste haulers. It can completely transform them into a leaner,
more competitive operation fully capable of meeting the challenges of modern-day trash hauling.
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so that more trash is collected within the same service time may be the target. Either way, efficiency improvements cannot come at the cost of safety. Rushing to finish the route or cramming in 30 more stops, thereby putting more pressure on the driver to work faster wont The Advantage in the Waste Industry help profits if safety becomes a casualty. As such, technology must enhance the safety footing of the hauler as it helps the organization become more efficient. Another challenge technology must address is to create a reliable, effective way to get the route (and any changes as they unfold) to the driver. Similarly, the vehicle must be able to report back the progress its making on the route. This pipeline must take place in real-time and must be completely paperless. Finally, technology must integrate the various products currently in use in todays hauling operation. This integration begins with the route management software (RMS), tying its data with that which the on-board computer (OBC) collects. The integration must then extend itself to other products, including route optimization, payroll, time clock and fleet maintenance, to name a few. If properly executed, a fully-integrated system gives haulers critical tools for internal route management (e.g., between field and back office) as well as external customer service tools (between back office and the haulers customer base).
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transformative technology: Laying the foundation for high tech tools in todays modern hauler
integrated GPS data for full breadcrumb trail tracking. The core route pickup data collected by the OBC can be augmented by other easy-to-operate technology add-ons such as digital cameras, RFID readers, on-board scales and turn-by-turn directions. The route Typical photo taken by on-board digital camera. data sent to the OBC generally originates from the RMS. Integrating the RMS with the on-board computer creates a seamless flow of route data between the truck and the back office. An ROI can be easily realized through accurate extras collection and billing and elimination of service to non-paying customers. Thanks to significant reductions in cellular data plans, it is now possible for the truck and the office to communicate with one another in real-time. This means changes to the route can be sent to the driver, and confirmation of all route activity can be returned to the office, painting an up-to-the-minute profile of collection activity. The integration can be augmented by tying in other software assets available to haulers: route optimization software to improve route efficiency, payroll and time clock tools for accurate driver, route and vehicle costing, and fleet maintenance software that directly ties truck field use to preventative maintenance activity. Finally, the technology solution includes alerts and dashboards that track a set of critical operational statistics across the organization, from route costs out of their normative range to drivers with excessive engine idle time. These dashboards can be used in the office or in the field, available down to tablet PCs and Blackberry devices so every stakeholder can stay apprised of their piece of the route puzzle.
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By monitoring the driver and his activities, mandated driver activities can now be fully enforced. Additionally, haulers can now see if vehicles are being handled in accordance with company safety policies. Real-time dashboards can alert management to excessive speeding, acceleration and deceleration The Advantage in the Waste Industry infractions, and improper PTO and hydraulic arm use (e.g., alerts when the vehicle is moving while the arms are up). Finally, technology plays a central role in bettering customer service. With real-time information on the route, customer service agents now have the information they need to effortlessly answer customer inquiries about service levels and billing. Shorter call times, coupled with more accurate call information, combine to provide an ROI in this area.
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2010 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine. Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.